High-quality toys, games, and Other Educational Resources for FREE!
Did you know there are libraries in your community where you can borrow high-quality toys, games, and other educational resources for free? That’s right! In fact, the UNM Early Childhood Services Center Toy Lending and Resource Library has been operating in Las Cruces since 2018! Marisa DeWolf reflects, “When I was raising my baby at home, the Toy Lending Library in Las Cruces was a major part of our lives. New toys are so expensive, and the lending library allowed my young daughter to explore her interests and then trade for something else as she grew, all for free. I’m so happy that parents and kids in Anthony will have this gathering place to enrich the early years for their families”.
The Success Partnership’s Doña Ana County (DAC) Early Childhood Education (ECE) Coalition proudly introduces Mundo de Juguetes, the new Toy Lending Library in Anthony, that will expand and improve access to early learning resources for families throughout Doña Ana County. The ECE Coalition’s Gadsden Chapter unanimously named the Toy Lending Library “Mundo de Juguetes.” This name is a term of endearment that refers to a world of toys in the Hispanic culture. “The Mundo de Juguetes Gadsden Toy Lending Library offers children, their families, and communities access to FREE developmentally appropriate toys and books. As a library, families can return and exchange items as children grow. This FREE resource alleviates a financial burden on families to ensure their children have access to high-quality educational toys. “The toy lending library allows the Gadsden area partners to collaborate and nurture early childhood success in the community,” Explains Ybeth Z. Iglesias, MPA, Co-Associate Director and Bilingual Education and Development Manager for the UNM Family Development Program. “The Toy Lending Library started as a dream with a group of people committed to making this dream come true! The ECE Gadsden Chapter and Ngage NM joined forces and worked meticulous hours fulfilling this dream and bringing it to the Gadsden District families,” shared Esther Hernanzez.
The DAC ECE Coalition and the Gadsden Chapter (formerly known as the Gadsden ECE Coalition) have been elevating providers and families by strengthening them and removing barriers through support and connection separately for years. With support from the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD), the Doña Ana County ECE Coalition and the Gadsden ECE Coalition were able to join forces, bolstering ECE efforts across the county and increasing the partnerships and collaborations exponentially. The NM ECECD, which shares The ECE Coalition’s vision that families with young children in Doña Ana County have access to quality early childhood education and experiences, funded all of the new educational items found in Mundo de Juguetes. Equity is woven into the fiber and framework of the Success Partnership, and the unification with the Gadsden Chapter has permitted greater capacity to focus intensely on ensuring resources are equitably distributed across our county. Mundo de Juguetes is an extraordinary accomplishment toward this end and an invaluable resource that touches on many goals outlined in the Early Childhood Education Coalition’s five-year Strategic Plan.
Mundo de Juguetes opened in September and is intended to serve the surrounding communities: Mesquite, La Mesa, Vado, Berino, Chamberino, Santa Teresa, Sunland Park, Chaparral, and many other smaller villages and colonias. The DAC ECE Coalition recognizes the rural nature of this area and that while Anthony is much closer than Las Cruces, travel will still be part of visiting the Library. In an effort to ease this, Mundo de Juguetes will have their library items listed online so that families can view toys and resources before they make the trip to visit. What’s more? Mundo de Jugeutes will not require a driver’s license or any other documentation that might hinder access for families. Julie Ballard-Soto, Director of Thriving Families Home Visiting, shares, “As someone who has built my home and raised my family in the Gadsden Community, I recognize how invaluable Mundo de Juguetes is going to be for families to explore and learn through play. I feel blessed to serve this community and am so grateful to all the partners working together to make this happen.”
Join us for a Grand Opening Celebration for Mundo de Juguetes on October 27th from 2 pm – 6 pm at 780 Landers Rd—Unit G. Anthony, NM 88021. The community can look forward to a Trunk or Treat, games, food, prizes, and more! Elected officials will be there to recognize and commemorate this special event.
Mundo de Juguetes
780 Landers Rd. Unit G. Anthony, NM 88021
Open Thursdays from 10 am – 3 pm
MdJTll@SuccessDAC.org
UNM Early Childhood Services Center Toy Lending and Resource Library
301 S. Church St. Suite H. Las Cruces, NM 88001
(505) 559-3889
Open Mondays and Thursdays from 9:30-4:00 and one Saturday a month.
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The Success Partnership is a collaborative prenatal-to-career community education initiative that uses Collective Impact as its framework. The Partnership comprises many individuals, businesses, and nonprofits committed to transforming education outcomes for Doña Ana County. The Success Partnership is supported by the Primary Backbone Organization Ngage NM and by three Backbone Partners: Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico, NMSU Center for Community Analysis, and La Clinica de Familia. These organizations are Backbone Partners because they help guide the vision and strategy, support aligned activities, establish shared measurement, build public will, advance policy, and mobilize funding. Furthermore, these Backbone Organizations house our extended backbone team. Contact Sommer Mitchell, Communications Coordinator, for more information about the Success Partnership. sommer@ngagenm.org